Java Barat Places of Interest

Attraction in West Jawa (Java Barat)


Bandung Kota, City of Flowers

There are short drives up to the mountain resorts of Lembang and the Bosscha Observatory, and higher to the volcanic crater of Tangkuban Perahu, the only crater in Java accessible all the way by car as far as its rim. It is an awe-inspiring sight of emanating sulfur fumes. Descent into all the volcano's 12 craters is only possible with the aid of an experienced guide, because of the presence of suffocating gases at certain spots. Just a 15 minutes drive from Tangkuban Perahu is a hot springs resort called Lembang. This small sub district town is well-known for its beautiful panorama. When you are travelling from Bandung, you will be welcomed by Lembang Grand Hotel, which was built in 1940s, and has been used by the tourism department for years. From lembang we can easily reach Cimahi Waterfall, Maribaya waterfall, Omas Waterfall, Tangkubanparahu crater and Ciater hot spring. Located 16 km North of Bandung city. It takes you about 40 minutes to get there by car. Along the ascending zigzag road, you will see hotels and bungalows. After you pass Bumi Siliwangi (Isola Building), you will see observatory on the right side of the road. At km 14, turning to the right you will find the well-known Bosscha Observatory.

The area of Bandung regency provides magnificent panoramas. Many torism spots stretch from Mount Tangkubanparahu on the North to Lake Patenggang on the South, from the giant Saguling Dam on the West to Cinulang Waterfall on the East. In addition, they are now adequately facilitated with transportation facilities. For those who want to relax, just don¹t bother yourselves bringing food from home, since there are various kinds of restaurants and food stalls providing sorts of dishes and drinks along the way. Despite its beautiful panorama, Bandung Regency is also enriched with many kinds of arts. Both traditional and modern arts can be found in sub district towns as well as in villages. The tourist activity in the regency of Bandung is divided into 4 (four) area: 1. North Bandung Tourist Area North Bandung Tourist Area, with central activity in Mountain of Tangkubanperahu Crater, The Garden of Juande Great Forest (Dago Pakar), Maribaya ­ Lembang, Pangenten Waterfall ­ Cisarua, and Cihideung Flower¹s Garden ­ Parongpong.


Tangkuban Perahu

Tangkuban Perahu, or Tangkuban Parahu in local sundanese dialect, is an active volcano 30 km north of the city of Bandung, the provincial capital of West Java, Indonesia. It is a popular tourist attraction where tourists can hike or ride to the edge of the crater to view the hot water springs upclose, and buy eggs cooked on its hot surface. This stratovolcano is on the island of Java and last erupted in 1983.

In April 2005 the Directorate of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation raised an alert, forbidding visitors from going up the volcano. "Sensors on the slopes of the two mountains - Anak Krakatoa on the southern tip of Sumatra Island and Tangkuban Perahu in Java - picked up an increase in volcanic activity and a build up of gases, said government volcanologist Syamsul Rizal."


Local Legend of the Mountain

The name translates roughly to "upturning of (a) boat" or "upturned boat" in Sundanese, referring to the local legend of its creation. The story tells of "Dayang Sumbi", a beauty who lived in West Java. She cast away her son "Sangkuriang" for disobedience, and in her sadness was granted the power of eternal youth by the gods. After many years in exile, Sangkuriang decided to return to his home, long after the two had forgotten and failed to recognize each other. Sangkuriang fell in love with Dayang Sumbi and planned to marry her, only for Dayang Sumbi to recognize his birthmark just as he was about to go hunting. In order to prevent the marriage from taking place, Dayang Sumbi asked Sangkuriang to build a dam on the river Citarum and build a large boat to cross the river, both before the sunrise. Sangkuriang meditated and summoned mythical ogre-like creatures -buta hejo or green giant(s)- to do his bidding. Dayang Sumbi saw that the tasks were almost completed and called on her workers to spread red silk cloths east of the city, to give the impression of impending sunrise. Sangkuriang was fooled, and upon believing that he had failed, kicked the dam and the unfinished boat, resulting in severe flooding and the creation of Tangkuban perahu from the hull of the boat.


PUNCAK

From Bogor we continued up into the mountains. We travelled through several smaller towns along the road looking at what went on there. When we got up towards the top we were met by a lot of loverly teaplantations.

We stayed in a very nice hotel on the top of the road and we were high enough to feel the clouds lower themselves onto us creating a nice atmosphere. We went down to the largest town in the area - Cipanas and had a look at the nice palace there, and the traffic jam.

When we were up in the mountains Ramadan was over and we experienced how they celebrated that - everybody wanted to use the holidays to get up into the mountain. That really made a trafficjam. Luckily we were going down. But we had to use the small public buses - and at one time I counted 20 persons inside the bus. A strange experience.


Bogor Botanical Gardens

The Bogor Botanical Gardens are located 60 km south of the capital of Jakarta in Bogor, Indonesia. The botanical gardens are situated in the city center of Bogor and adjoin the Istana Bogor (Presidential Palace). The gardens cover more than 80 hectares and are said to be the inspiration of Sir Stamford Raffles who was governor of Java from 1811-1816.

The extensive grounds of the presidential palace were converted into the gardens by the German-born Dutch botanist, Professor Casper George Carl Reinwardt. The gardens officially opened in 1817 and were used to research and develop plants and seeds from other parts of the Indonesian archipelago for cultivation during the 19th century. This is a tradition that continues today and contributes to the garden's reputation as a major center for botanical research.

Today the garden contains more than 15,000 species of trees and plants located among streams and lotus ponds. There are 400 types of exceptional palms to be found along the extensive lawns and avenues, helping the gardens create a refuge for more than 50 different varieties of birds and for groups of bats roosting high in the trees. The bats can be easily detected by the noise they make while competing for space under the canopies. The orchid houses contain some 3000 varieties.


Pangandaran

Pangandaran is a small town and a subdistrict in southern Ciamis regency, West Java, Indonesia. It is located on the southern coast of Java. Pangandaran is a popular tourist destination, having a beach which is considered to be one of the finest in Java and which offers excellent surfing.

A kite-flying festival is held on the beach in July and August. It is reported that the locals used to fly kites in the evenings to catch bats, and may still do so. There is a local belief that wearing any green garment in this area will anger Loro Kidul, the Javanese guardian spirit or goddess of the southern sea, and will bring misfortune.

The Penanjung Pangandaran nature reserve is nearby on a peninsula connected to the mainland by a narrow neck of land. About eighty percent of the nature reserve is secondary rainforest. The flora of the nature reserve includes the Rafflesia.

A tsunami hit the area on 17 July 2006. An undersea earthquake measured at 7.7 on the Richter scale triggered a three metre high tidal wave. Extensive damage was caused and hundreds of people were reported to be dead or missing.


Sukabumi

Sukabumi is a city and regency in the highlands of West Java, Indonesia, about 80 km (50 miles) south of Jakarta. Located at an altitude of about 600 meters (2000 feet), the city is a minor hill station resort, with a cooler climate than the surrounding lowlands; the city is a destination for whitewater rafting. Rubber production is a major industry in the area.

In Dutch colonial times, Sukabumi was the site of the colonial police academy. In early 2005, Sukabumi became the first place in Indonesia that polio was reported in ten years, the beginning of a nationwide outbreak of the disease which had been believed to be eradicated in the country.

In the 1980s, the Indonesian police were reported to be pretending to give prisoners an opportunity to escape and then shooting them 'while escaping'. Prisoners to whom this happened were said to have been 'di-sukabumi-kan' ('Sukabumi-ed'). Some reports explained the term as referring to the words 'suka' (= 'like, enjoy') and 'bumi' ('earth').